The Power of Positive Feedback

As teachers we have all had the experience of staring at a stack of papers, red pen in hand, and feeling as if we will never reach the bottom. A cycle of negativity can begin here. This negativity can easily be compounded if we are grading students’ writing and, forgetting the pressures that our students face, we train our attention on every slight detail of grammar, every transgression of good spelling and usage, and every exasperating offence to structure and coherence. Our corrections can become a morass of red ink and a demoralizing blow to our students. What’s more, correcting student writing mistakes is time consuming and will rarely have the effect of teaching them the “right way” to write (why would a student bother to learn the right way, when copying your corrections will earn them an upgrade?). Our upcoming workshop on Effective Grading and Minimal Marking will deal with many strategies that will ease the load of grading while improving the quality of our feedback and, consequently, our students’ writing.

I would like to use this space to reflect on what I believe to be the most important of these strategies: begin your comments by saying something positive about the writing. This step (I prefer to think of it as a rule) has the power to unlock your students’ potential and make your task a more uplifting and pleasurable one. By taking a moment to formulate a positive response, you will not only gain the attention of your student, you will remind yourself of the person behind the pen (while reminding them of the same). But just as important, you will create a constructive frame through which to view the potential in their paper. The remainder of your comments should aim to support the strength that you have identified in their prose. Your criticisms will gain direction and authority, as they seek to uplift rather than merely identify mistakes.

Try it. It is not difficult to spot a student’s strength after even a cursory reading. Stop and write it down at the end of the paper (e.g. “Sarah, your comprehension of the material is very sophisticated.”). This simple observation will give a constructive frame for your remaining comments. You can choose to mark only the grammatical errors that obscure the clarity of her understanding of the material, and she will understand them as surmountable obstacles to her potential. Your remaining end comments can focus on how Sarah’s understanding of the material can be more clearly and effectively presented. Through positive feedback, we gain the trust of our students and a constructive lens through which to evaluate and encourage their work.